Calm Renewal: Ayurvedic Harmony for Menopause Amidst Chronic Stress
Understanding the Ayurvedic Perspective
Ayurveda views menopause as a natural transition influenced by the balance of the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Doshas are bio-energetic forces in the body that govern physical and mental processes, each linked to specific anatomical and functional aspects. Each of these dosha are investigated within an Ayurvedic consultation to ascertain what is happening energetically for each woman going through the menopause because, as you may have noticed, not all menopause are the same. Some of us suffer from weight gain, congestion, allergies and depression along with a feeling of being stuck with no way forward and no enthusiasm to find a solution. Others suffer from constant rage and frustration feeling like they are in a fight against themselves, their symptoms and the whole World. Perhaps this comes along with skin rashes and flare ups, loose stools, feeling hot and bothered along with regular hot flushes and perhaps migraines and not being able to wind down enough to sleep - leaving you feeling wired and tired and perhaps over-working with all that pent up energy. For others it veers off in the opposite direction. You feel dried out and dried up. You feel ungrounded and spacey and forgetful and worried and anxious. You feel dizzy and you get pain after pain. Sometimes it is sciatica and then it is hip pain and then the other hip and then elbow pain, then shoulder pain. You are absolutely sick of cataloguing a plethora of symptoms and trying to find solutions for each new symptom. Perhaps you wake up between 2am - 6am and just cannot get back to sleep. Perhaps you lie there worrying about things or you even wake up then because of more pain.
Yes, I know, others will be saying ‘I have ALL of these symptoms’. It feels like you are in overwhelm and all the prescriptions and alternative options you try seem to work for a bit and then stop or simply give you a little sliver of relief that is not enough relief to warrant a feeling of complete support during this difficult time but now you are afraid to stop that or try something else in case that small window of ease leaves with it. I understand. I’ve been there and I’d love to help you navigate an easier, more gentle, compassionate and individually curated way through the confusion. Let me start with telling you a little bit about Ayurveda.
Understanding the Ayurvedic Perspective
In Ayurveda, menopause is known as Rajonivrutti, which literally translates to “the end of Artava Pravrutti,” signifying the cessation of menstruation. Unlike Western medicine, Ayurveda does not perceive menopause as a disorder or pathology. Instead, it recognizes it as a natural transition in a woman’s life—a significant phase that deserves reverence and understanding.
Understanding Ayurveda: A Brief Overview
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, views health holistically. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. Here are some key principles:
Doshas and Life Stages:
Ayurveda recognizes three major life stages: childhood (Brahmacharya Ashram), adulthood (Grihastha Ashram), and elderhood (Sannyasa Ashram).
Each stage corresponds to one of the three doshas:
Kapha (earth and water) during childhood, characterized by growth and learning.
Pitta (fire and water) during adulthood, associated with achievements and accomplishments.
Vata (air and ether) during elderhood, a time of letting go and reflection.
Menopause marks the transition into the vata-dominated phase, allowing for wisdom to emerge from deep contemplation on life experiences.
Energetic Perspective:
Ayurveda views the body as an intricate interplay of energies (doshas) and elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether).
When our body deviates from its natural prakriti (constitution), imbalances arise, potentially leading to disease.
Menopause represents a shift in energy dynamics, and understanding our unique ayurvedic body type becomes crucial during this phase.
Natural Movement Away from Prakriti:
As we age, Ayurveda acknowledges that we naturally move away from our inherent constitution (in terms of Vata Dosha increasing as we age).
This movement away from our Nature can manifest as physical, mental, and emotional changes.
Menopause, therefore, becomes an opportunity for self-awareness and adaptation and providing more support back towards our Nature.
Setting the Scene: A Graceful Transition
Imagine a woman standing at the threshold of menopause—a time when her body’s energies shift, and her life experiences converge. In the following, we’ll explore how Ayurveda guides us through this transformative journey. From managing symptoms to embracing newfound wisdom, let’s embark on a graceful menopausal voyage—one that honors the body, mind, and spirit.
Vata Dosha: Movement and Communication
Characteristics and Imbalance: Vata dosha is characterized by qualities such as dryness, lightness, coldness, and mobility. Anatomically, Vata is associated with the nervous system, the colon, and joints. During menopause, an increase in Vata can manifest as dry skin/vagina/mucous membranes/eyes/sinus/stools, anxiety, insomnia, and a chaotic mind. Now, here is the rub, chronic stress can exacerbate these Vata-related symptoms, making menopause symptoms worse, perhaps even adding symptoms that are more nervous system related than hormone related.
In Balance: When Vata is balanced, it supports Prana, the life force energy responsible for movement and communication within the body. Balanced Vata enhances creativity, vitality, and mental clarity. When Vata is balanced you feel buoyant rather than chaotic.
Pitta Dosha: Transformation and Metabolism
Characteristics and Imbalance: Pitta dosha embodies heat, sharpness, intensity, and fluidity. It is linked to the digestive system, liver, and skin. During menopause, an imbalance in Pitta can lead to hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, and inflammatory conditions. Managing heat and maintaining coolness is crucial for those experiencing Pitta imbalances.
In Balance: Balanced Pitta supports Tejas, the radiant energy that governs metabolism, digestion, and intellect. Properly balanced Pitta promotes strong digestion, sharp intellect, and a balanced emotional state. You can still get all fired up and passionate but you don’t catch fire and burn yourself to a crisp!
Kapha Dosha: Stability and Structure
Characteristics and Imbalance: Kapha dosha is defined by heaviness, slowness, steadiness, and moisture. It is associated with the respiratory system, lymphatic system, and bodily fluids. During menopause, Kapha imbalances can cause weight gain, fluid retention, depression, and sluggishness. Encouraging activity and lightness helps counter Kapha's dense qualities.
In Balance: When Kapha is balanced, it nurtures Ojas, the essence of immunity and strength. Balanced Kapha fosters physical endurance, emotional stability, and robust immunity. You feel strong and stable and you are protected against getting every single bug that is going around.
Symptoms of Menopause
Ayurveda differs from other approaches by not only addressing the common symptoms of menopause, such as:
Hot flushes
Night sweats
Irregular periods
Mood changes
Breast soreness
Decreased libido
Vaginal dryness
Headaches or migraines
Sleep disturbances
Joint pain
Weight gain
Thinning hair
Dry or itchy skin
Memory problems or brain fog
Anxiety or depression
Urinary tract infections
Dental issues
Stooped posture
Persistent back pain
Height loss
But also by uncovering elemental and doshic imbalances within the body that may be leading to these symptoms. Once an elemental or doshic imbalance is noted, simply balancing that element and dosha may relieve a pattern or multitude of symptoms.
Assessing Doshic Imbalance
Ayurvedic practitioners ask questions to ascertain doshic imbalance, such as:
Sleep Patterns:
Are you finding that you are sleeping lightly and waking often, especially in the morning?
Are you finding it hard to sleep because you are going over jobs, responsibilities, and solutions late into the night?
Are you sleeping but waking up unrefreshed?
Bowel Habits:
Do you find your stool is dry, do you feel your bowel movement isn’t complete, or are you constipated?
Do you have loose stools with or without burning?
Do you have mucous in the stool or/and only need to eliminate when you have eaten?
Eating Habits:
Do you get so busy that you forget to eat and then feel ‘past your hunger’?
Do you feel okay and then ravenous and ‘hangry’?
Do you feel no hunger in the mornings but tend to snack late at night?
Seasonal Changes:
Is there a time of year when you always get ill or feel brilliant?
What types of symptoms and issues tend to start up or stop during certain seasons?
Energy Levels:
Do you feel wiped out by the afternoon?
Do you go like a trooper for days and then fall ill or collapse into a heap?
Do you find it hard to get going in the morning but then have steady energy until the evening and then enjoy staying up into the night (perhaps snacking)?
These are just a handful of the many questions which help Ayurvedic practitioners understand your elemental balance and doshic imbalance, allowing them to create a treatment plan that addresses not just hormone balance, bone health, anxiety relief, pain-relief and weight loss, but also the energetic patterns creating these symptoms.
Ayurvedic Solutions for Balance - Vata Dosha
Focusing on Vata dosha, which includes the whole nervous system and the Five Pranas (Prana, Udana, Samana, Vyana, Apana), is essential during menopause. Vata is the conductor of Pitta and Kapha doshas and accumulates naturally as we age, contributing to some of the long term symptoms seen during menopause.
Ayurvedic Wellness Plan:
Below is an example of an Ayurvedic Wellness Plan for a client with Vata Vkrti/Imbalance who has irregular digestion and bowel habits and is suffering from joint pain, headaches, sciatica, low back pain and insomnia (waking up 4am every morning) and she has also been suffering with anxiety, dizziness and forgetfulness/confusion affecting her work. Tests and investigations by her GP have shown that there is nothing structurally wrong and that this is a stress/menopause diagnosis.
In Ayurveda, each person’s Wellness Plan is different according to the information gathered within an initial consultation.
Dietary Adjustments:
Favour warm, moist, and grounding foods to counteract Vata’s dryness.
Include ghee and healthy oils to nourish and lubricate the body.
Emphasize root vegetables and whole grains for sustained energy and stability.
Integrate spices like coriander, ginger, cumin, asofetida and fennel to aid digestion and circulation.
Create a routine of eating at the same time every day; don’t miss meals and decrease or eliminate smoothies, raw foods, green drinks and salads.
Herbal Remedies:
Ayurveda offers a plethora of herbs that support women’s reproductive and nervous system health. In this person’s Wellness Plan, warm milk turmeric latte (medicinal grade) which is a nourishing nerve tonic and 3 seed tea (cumin, coriander and fennel seeds ground and infused in hot water) which is balancing to all dosha and helps regulate the digestive fire are advised in the evenings and during the day, respectively, along with a regular triphala (traditional Ayurvedic three fruit supplement) as a supplement each evening.
Yoga and Meditation:
Practice Moon Salutation and a Joint Circling Practice in the evenings.
Engage in a beginner’s nadi shodhana practice each evening.
Dedicate time for Yoga Nidra 1-3 x a week.
Take time each day to get outside into the natural light even if it is dreary, dull, wet out to get a connection with Nature and away from work/chores. When you are out practice the physiological sigh (inhale pause, inhale pause, big sigh) a few times regularly to ‘dump’ stress accumulation.
Daily Routines (Dinacharya):
Establish a consistent daily schedule for waking, eating (as above), and sleeping to stabilize the body’s internal clock.
Perform self-massage (Abhyanga) with warm Mahanayarana Taila (Ayurvedic Oil) 3x a week to soothe the nervous system and enhance circulation.
Prioritize adequate sleep and relaxation closing down your work schedule by 6-7pm and tv/media/blue light from 9pm onwards - add a short belly massage using Marma Points - Nabhi Marma (a set of 5 points around the belly) just before sleeping.
Use an Ayurvedic formula for nose oiling (nasya) - Anunasya (a herbal oil for nasya) in the evenings.
Start kavala graha (oil pulling) with an Ayurvedic medicated oil - Mahanarayana Taila (herbal Ayurvedic oil)
All of the above is an example of an Ayurvedic Wellness Plan for an individual that was able to and agreed to make the changes above to her home routines and schedules. The recommendations above are not all done at once. The Ayurvedic practitioner and the client will come up with a plan about how to accommodate these changes slowly over a 3-6 month period so that they are enjoyable and do not add to stress and overwhelm. Ayurveda offers a huge amount of flexibility within each person’s treatment plans to accomodate many different symptoms, needs, dietary choices, lifestyles and work-patterns.
Embracing the Change
Menopause is an opportunity for growth and self-reflection. It’s a time to honor the body’s wisdom and embrace changes with grace and positivity. By adopting Ayurvedic principles, women can navigate this phase with greater ease and vitality, emerging with a renewed sense of well-being and harmony. Recognizing the power of Ayurveda provides a nurturing and empowering path to holistic health, helping find balance and even joy during this transformative period.